Chapter 40

‘Noel, you’re so stupid.’

What will you do if the protagonist takes the female lead with his natural sweetness?

Rieta shook her head.

It was better to keep negative thoughts as far as possible.

She’ll try her best, and hope.

Okay, for the first step, she needs to teach him how to play with snowballs a little more cutely.

***

“You know, Noel.”

Rieta walked on the snow and approached him.

“Your snowball fights are like real wars.”

In romance novels, snowball fights were not this intense. They’re supposed to lead to flutters of the heart.

“So, why don’t you ease up?”

However, Noel seemed to have no interest in the law of romance novels. Despite anything Rieta said, he just got excited and started throwing snowballs again.

“Why is it called a snowball fight? Because you throw snowballs! You’re such an idiot, Princess!”

Rieta was fed up with his teasing.

“You’re the idiot, Noel Mayer!”

She couldn’t believe Noel lost his mind and started a snowball war just because of the first snow! No one would want to read such a romance novel!

In addition, there was something else that Rieta couldn’t forgive.

“How dare you declare war on me?!”

The cherished son of the Mayer dukedom waged war on a princess who had survived the harsh battlegrounds of the Kingdom of Liz.

His actions were trivial, shameless almost.

Rieta picked up a chunk of a snowman she had just made.

It was quite heavy, so she squeaked a bit, but she soon succeeded in lifting it over her head.

Her recent three meals and two snacks didn’t just disappear somewhere.

Rieta heaved the enormous snowball straight at Noel’s head.

The snowball exploded, leaving snow all over his head and shoulders, and scattered in the surrounding area.

Rieta smiled at her victory.

This time, cold snow was in Noel’s clothes, and Noel couldn’t stand it.

Rieta put aside her “dignity,” laughing heartily for the first time in a while.

She didn’t think that he could retaliate.

But there was something Rieta didn’t take into account.

Noel was unexpectedly obsessed with what he wanted.

And what he was obsessed with now was “victory.”

Noel opened his eyes and started running at Rieta again.

“It’s a foul to throw it!”

Surprised, Rieta quickly stepped back, but it was too late.

He launched his attack with a flurry of snow.

The thin snow in the air made it hard for Rieta to open her eyes.

It didn’t hurt, but something was strange.

Why was Noel trying so hard?

Suddenly, Rieta’s neck was chilled as the snow on her skin melted and her body temperature dropped.

“Ah-choo!”

When Rieta sneezed, Noel’s attack halted. Was it an act of kindness? He had more common sense than she thought…

That was what she had thought, but it was a misunderstanding.

“Ah-choo!”

Noel sneezed as well.

The snow from earlier had melted into their clothes.

And once again, the two sneezed loudly at once.

“……”

“…..”

Wasn’t this the precursor to a cold? She didn’t want one.

There were many reasons why it was bad to catch a cold. First of all, cold medicine was terrible. It tasted like illness.

Plus, if either of them caught a cold, they wouldn’t be able to play anymore.

Thus, Rieta and Noel signed a silent treaty and turned gazes.

After shaking off some of the snow, they ran to the mansion without a competition.

Ah, it was so cold. They shivered in unison.

******

The two changed their clothes and wrapped themselves in a blanket.

Afterwards, they sat side by side in front of the fireplace in the family room to warm themselves up.

Even in peace, Noel was obsessed with the outcome of the snowball fight.

“I won, didn’t I?”

“Is it that important?”

“To me.”

Rieta nodded roughly because she didn’t want to argue about such a childish matter.

It was weird sometimes how obsessed he was.

Soon, the maid came and handed them cups of warm chocolate.

There were two marshmallows each for both Noel, the winner of the fight, and Rieta.

See, winning or losing a snowball fight didn’t matter at all.

Rieta quickly gulped down the chocolate.

Soon, even places where the heat from the fireplace couldn’t reach warmed up.